“Ex Libris Editha Mautner von Markhof Baroness Sunstenau”, 1907

The graphic artist Editha “Ditha” Moser (1883–1969), who worked for the Wiener Werkstätte (WW), was famous for her designs of playing cards and calendars and had an extensive network of friends and acquaintances in Vienna. She met the painter and founder of the WW Koloman Moser (1868–1918) in 1903 and they married two years later. The artist created an ex libris – a label that is pasted into books to identify the owner – for her mother Editha Mautner Markhof (1846–1918) around 1910. The composition centers on a knight drawing a bow. Markhof’s full name lines the upper edge of the picture in black letters: “Editha Mautner von Markhof Baronin Sustenau.” To the left there is the Markhof family’s coat of arms and their motto “Fleiss und Wille” (“diligence and determination”). With its reduced color palette and planarity, the depiction betrays the traditional artistic characteristics of the Wiener Werkstätte.

AS, 2023